Whether listening to a portable media player while traveling, or to a stereo or theater system at home, consumers often choose headphones. Headphones typically include a pair of earcups that are placed on the user's ears and are held together by a headband. The earcups typically include earpads for user comfort and/or sealing of the earcup to the user's head, and are of a fixed size and shape. In this aspect, headphones can be classified into two general categories based on the size of the earcup and associated earpads, namely circumaural headphones or supra-aural headphones.
Circumaural headphones have earpads the completely surround the user's ear and press on the user's head. Circumaural headphones are often referred to as full size headphones. In some cases, the earpads seal to the user's head to provide sound attenuation. Due to the size of the earcups and pads, however, circumaural headphones can be heavy and inconvenient for daily use.
Supra-aural headphones have earpads that are smaller than those of circumaural headphones and press on the user's ears, instead of the head. Supra-aural headphones are therefore typically smaller than circumaural headphones and may be more suitable for daily use and travel. Because the earpads of supra-aural headphones can rest on the user's ears, however, they can become uncomfortable after a period of time and achieve less sound attenuation than circumaural headphones.